The list of world-famous songstresses to have taken on the role previously is such as Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez. And now, Fox has made official that the latest successful pop diva (or just diva, no pop) to join American Idol is none other than 42-year-old Mariah Carey.
(Wait, she’s 42?!)
The first person to confirm it was the Idol host himself, Ryan Seacrest, who tweeted:
Shortly after the official announcement, Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly told critics at their press tour, “It’s the biggest recording artist than any of these singing competition shows have ever had. It’s an artist many contestants have tried to emulate, tried to hit the songs, hit the notes. The deal only concluded hours ago.”
According to EW, Mariah will join the judges table for American Idol’s Season 12 and it’s likely that she will be taking home more than Jennifer Lopez’s first year (USD12 million) and second year (USD15 million) salary on the show. Which puts Mariah’s big fat American Idol somewhere between USD15 and USD18 million.
We can’t help but wonder though – was the move in getting Mariah in on the show a vain attempt at saving Idol? Idol suffered a 23% drop in ratings last season and is no longer the only “kid on the block” when it comes to talent competitions (with the presence of “X-Factor” and “The Voice”).
Either way, with that amount of money, one season and she probably doesn’t have to work a day in her life anymore!
